Born June 5, 1954 in Izmir, Turkey. Birth Name Nihat Haluk Bilginer. Height 5' 8½" (1,74 m)
Haluk
Bilginer is a Turkish actor. In addition to his acting career in Turkey, he has
also worked in the United Kingdom and remains known for his role as Mehmet
Osman in the television soap opera EastEnders (1985) during the 1980s. He has
also starred in Hollywood movies as a minor actor. He played a villainous
guerrilla leader in the 1987 comedy film Ishtar (1987) (one of the most
notorious flops in movie history) and a Turkish Mafioso in the 2001 dark comedy
film Acemi askerler (2001). He played the character of Emre Celenk in the
episode of Persephone in Spooks (2002) 2004.
Bilginer
was born in Izmir, Turkey. He graduated from Ankara State Conservatory in 1977
before going to England where he graduated from London Academy of Music and
Dramatic Art. He landed his first role at EastEnders (1985). Bilginer makes his
first appearance in EastEnders (1985) as Mehmet Osman on-screen in June 1985,
four months after the show originally aired. His arrival coincides with a cot
death story line of Sue and Ali's baby, Hassan. Mehmet appears as a recurring
character from 1985-1987, setting up a cab firm named Ozcabs from inside Ali's
cafe; however, he becomes a regular in 1988, when both he and his wife Guizin
(Ishia Bennison) are made partners in Ali's cafe, which is renamed Café Osman.
Mehmet is portrayed as a charmer, a rogue and a womanizer. Author of The
EastEnders (1985) Handbook, Hilary Kingsley, has said of him, "he tries it
on with every woman he meets and sometimes succeeds through a combination of
good looks and sheer audacity." A serial gambler, Mehmet was shown to
steer Ali into various money-losing ploys, and had a combustible marriage to
Guizin, who put up with his philandering, as in the Turkish community, that's
"what a wife was expected to do".
Described
as "the Terrible Turk", Haluk Bilginer was one of the more popular
male cast members on EastEnders (1985) during the 1980s, and he reportedly
received sackfuls of fan mail, "despite playing a villain and a womanizing
snake". Hilary Kingsley has said that what made the character so popular
was Bilginer's Omar Sharif-style good looks and charm. Following the departure
of Holland and Smith, Mehmet was eventually written out of the serial in May
1989, in a story line that signified the disbandment of the Osman family.
On-screen, Mehmet returns to his native Cyprus after a fight with Guizin
regarding her suspicions about Mehmet's fabricated affair with Sue. The Osman
family were among many characters to leave the serial that year. Writer Colin
Brake has commented, "the pace of comings and going was fast and furious
during 1989, as the program me tried to find a new direction." Bilginer
went into musical theatre after leaving EastEnders (1985). During the course of
the show, he came to Turkey to star in the 1987 TV series Gecenin Öteki Yüzü
(1987) (The Other Side of the Night), where he met his eventual first wife
Zuhal Olcay, famous Turkish actress and singer. After dividing his time in
London and Istanbul for six years, he left the show to stay in Turkey permanently
and married Zuhal Olcay in 1992. He guest starred in an episode of The Young
Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992) as Ismet Inönü, and went on to star in the
Yavuz Özkan film "Iki Kadin (1992)" (Two Women). He then starred in
various movies including the controversial İstanbul Kanatlarımın Altında (1996)
(Istanbul Under My Wings) and the famous Usta beni öldürsene (1997) (Master,
Kill Me). After critical acclaim for these roles, he earned his first award as
a supporting actor in Masumiyet (1997) (Innocence). After deciding he wants to
pursue career on stage, he founded "Tiyatro Stüdyosu" (Theatre
Studio) with his wife Zuhal Olcay and Ahmet Levendoglu in 1990. After starring
in various plays for six years, he had to return to screen in 1996 because of a
fire that has destroyed the theater. He and his wife starred in television and
movies to raise money to found another theater.
During
this era, he starred in Eyvah kizim büyüdü (2000) (Oh My, My Daughter Has
Grown), starting his second era in television. After years of work, he and his
wife managed to start a second theater, called "Oyun Atölyesi" (Play
Workshop). His most famous role however came after he started his second
theater. He landed a role in Tatlı Hayat (2001), a remake of The Jeffersons (1975).
He played the role of Ihsan Yildirim, an angry, racist and foul-mouthed, yet
lovable dry cleaner. He was accompanied by legendary actress Türkan Soray, who
played his wife, Asuman Dabak playing the witty cleaner, Neco playing the Greek
neighbor (The enmity between Greeks and Turks were put instead of the
Black-White one in the original) and Çolpan Ilhan playing Neco's wife. He and
the show's breakthrough character Irfan (played by Celal Kadri Kinoglu) are
regarded as the best characters in Turkish TV history. He divorced Zuhal Olcay
in 2004 and began a relationship with Askin Nur Yengi, a famous Turkish singer.
They married in 2006 and had a girl. After Tatlı Hayat (2001), he starred in
Neredesin Firuze (2004) (Where Are You Firuze?), Hırsız Var! (2005) (Thief!)
and Hacivat Karagöz Neden Öldürüldü? (2006) (Why Were Hacivat&Karagöz
Murdered?). His most recent role in Polis (2007) (Police) however, is his most
critically acclaimed role after Tatlı Hayat (2001). His portrayal of the
troubled police legend Musa Rami has gained critical acclaim from both critics
and viewers, who thought the movie was too experimental. Bilginer, however, has
said that he will work in all of Onur Ünlü's (screenwriter and director of
Polis (2007)) movies, even as an extra if required. Bilginer played the role of
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in an Is Bank commercial, which first aired on 10
November 2007 during the 69th commemorations of Atatürk's death. In 2009 , He
play in famous Turkish soap Ezel (2009) during the second season. He became famous
with this role around Arab world. Bilginer co-starred in the 2009 American
thriller Uluslararası (2009) as Ahmet Sunay, a Turkish high-tech missile
guidance system dealer. He was accompanied by Clive Owen and Naomi Watts in
this movie. Bilginer plays Aydin, an imposing Grey-haired former actor, in Kis
Uykusu (2014), which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2014.
Şeref
Bey (2020)
Alex
Rider (Dr. Greif, 2020)
Şahsiyet
(Agah Beyoğlu, 2018)
Masum
(Cevdet, 2017)
Kaçak
(2 Sezon, Ustura Faysal, 2013-2014)
Acayip
Hikayeler (Sinan, 2012)
İstanbul'un
Altınları (Reşat Altın, 2011)
Kaçak
(2 Sezon, Ustura Faysal, 2013-2014)
Acayip
Hikayeler (Sinan, 2012)
İstanbul'un
Altınları (Reşat Altın, 2011)
Cuma'ya
Kalsa (Cuma, 2010)
Sevgili
Dünürüm (Ahmet, 2007)
Tatlı
Hayat (İhsan Yıldırım, 2001)
Karanlıkta
Koşanlar (Ali, 2001)
Cesur
Kuşku (Cesur, 2001)
Eyvah
Babam (Sedat, 1998)
Medeni
Haller (Haydar, 1997)
Gülşen
Abi (Abidin Özbidin / Gülşen Abla, 1994)
Gecenin
Öteki Yüzü (1987)
Ateşten
Günler (Ahmet Rıfkı, 1987)
Eastenders
(Mehmet Osman, 1985)
Bergerac
(Ahmed, 1981)
Movies:
Azizler
(2020)
9
Kere Leyla (Adem, 2020)
Nuh
Tepesi (İbrahim, 2019)
Cadılar
Bayramı (Sartain, 2018
Trendy
(Hasan, 2017)
Shelter
(Ahmet, 2017)
Osmanlı
Subayı (Khalil Bey, 2017)
Eski
Kocam(ız) (Nick, 2017)
Cingöz
Recai (Mehmet Rıza, 2017)
Kırık
Kalpler Bankası (Yusuf Yağmur, 2015)
Newyork'ta
Beş Minare (Hacı Gümüş, 2010)
Uluslararası
(Ahmet Sunay, 2009)
Uluslararası
(Ahmet Sunay, 2009)
Polis
(Musa Rami, 2006)
Hırsız
Var! (Seçkin Doruk, 2004)
Neredesin
Firuze (Hayri Kalıpçı, 2003)
Hititler
(III. Hattuşili, 2002)
Harem
Suare (Abdülhamit, 1999)
Nihavend
Mucize (Erol Alemdaroğlu, 1997)
Masumiyet
(Bekir, 1997)
80.
Adım (Savcı, 1996)
Kara
Sevdalı Bulut (Atilla, 1987)
Ishtar
(Gerilla Lideri, 1987)
Half
Moon Street (1. Arap, 1986)
REFERENCE:
Haluk Bilginer (kameraarkasi.org, 14.04.2018), Haluk
Bilginer (tiyatrolar.com.tr, 14.04.2018), Haluk
Bilginer (imdb.com, 05.12.2020), Haluk Bilginer (sinematurk.com, 05.12.2020), Haluk
Bilginer (diziseti.tv, 05.12.2020), Haluk Bilginer (beyazperde.com, 05.12.2020).